Rats in a Maze
by PadawanMage
Summary: Sequel to my first BSG story, "Fallen Star". What happened to Helo right before and through "33"? Read and Review!


**Title:** "Rats in a Maze"

**Author:** Padawanmage

**Rating:** PG-13

**Spoilers:** Miniseries, "33", "Water"

**Summary:** What happened to Helo on Caprica after the miniseries and right through the series premiere, "33"?

**Author's Notes:** This is a sequel to my first BSG story, "Fallen Star", so it might be a good idea to glance through that first. Essentially, I have Helo and the other survivors get captured by the Cylons. Helo 'dies' first, but not before seeing many copies of Six and one of Sharon show up to interrogate the other humans.

I wrote that story after only having seen the miniseries, so I assumed he died on Caprica, which I reflected in the tale. Imagine my surprise that the series shows he was alive and fighting the Cylons on Caprica. So, to set my story to fit better to canon, I wrote this sequel since I do like the Helo character. Not to mention, I like the interaction with the different models of Cylons. Also, so far, there hasn't been any explanation to what happened to the other survivors left with him when Sharon left, so I hope this explains it as well.

* * *

"Rats in a Maze" 

Sharon watched dispassionately as one by one the survivors of the holocaust were interrogated and quickly thereafter, killed. Not a single scream nor cry for mercy made her as much as bat an eye. A small part of her mind actually concluded that they were doing the humans a small mercy: radiation poisoning can be a prolonged and agonizing way to die. It was unfortunate that their only possible source of information was already shot. Unconsciously, she turned and gazed over a hill where they left the Colonial Warrior…no, where they left Helo. She shook her head and frowned. That line of thought was dangerous. Humans were to be supplanted; it was as simple as that.

Then why did she still gaze out to that hill?

More annoyed than angry, she walked away from where the interrogations were taking place and out towards the hill. Her leaving did not go unnoticed.

---

Karl C. Agathon (call sign: Helo) still lay at the base of the tree where he'd been left an hour before. Sharon stood over the body, a little exasperated at the small feeling of regret that refused to go away. She tried to convince herself that it was merely due to losing a possible lead to finding that last battlestar. Yes, she nodded, that had to be it.

"Pining for the loss of such a …handsome specimen?" a sultry voice said from behind. Sharon didn't even turn around as a black-clad Six and a crimson-jacketed Doral stood on either side of her.

"You call everyone you even think of sleeping with 'handsome'," Sharon retorted.

The blonde chuckled, not even bothering to deny the accusation. Doral looked from one female to the other, just as the last shots from the Centurions echoed over the hill.

"The prisoners knew nothing," he said.

Six shrugged. "As was expected since they were only civilians." She smiled, glancing to her left. "Right, Sharon?" she asked lightly.

The other woman's lip curled a little. "_You_ were the first to find him. You should've been able to - " and then she stopped suddenly in mid-sentence at a sound that had all three look down at their feet.

The human groaned ever slightly.

Sharon quickly went to her knees and laid a hand on his chest. "Incredible," she murmured. "He's still alive."

Doral shook his head. "Humans do show the most surprising amount of resilience." His blonde-haired companion merely snorted.

"Or it could be just plain stubbornness, which boils down to the same thing." Six looked the human up and down. "His wounds are too severe. He's mortally wounded and lost too much blood." Her lips quirked a little. "He's beyond the capability of the humans to help him."

"But not beyond ours," Sharon said, standing up.

Doral raised an eyebrow in wonderment. "You want to have him saved? Why?"

"You've always said that we never had enough data on the human psyche, that we never had enough time to find out what drives them, what 'emotional buttons' we could map out." Sharon pointed to Helo. "What better test subject than a trained Colonial Warrior, someone who would face and overcome difficult situations and decisions." She then brought her hands up and turned in a half-circle, gesturing to all of Caprica around them. "And who could ask for a better proving ground?"

Intrigued, Doral looked to ponder this idea. "How do we keep him from escaping our notice? It is a big planet, you know."

"He'll…have to be found by someone he knows…someone he trusts," Sharon said evenly.

Now it was Six's turn to looked mildly surprised at the bold proposition "You do reach far, don't you?"

Doral frowned slightly at the brash idea. "Your logic is flawed." He nodded to the prone human. "He saw you. He knows who and what you are."

Sharon lifted her chin. "Memories can be adjusted. Besides, he only caught sight of me just before he went under. He might just take it as paranoid delusions. Humans always look for the simplest explanation for anything that they can't understand."

Doral nodded. "True enough."

Six, however, did not look convinced. She reached out and laid her hand on Sharon's cheek. "Are you doing this for our benefit?" The hand slid down and roughly tipped her chin up so that Six's cold, blue eyes burned into Sharon's. "Or yours?"

Sharon's eyes widened then narrowed menacingly. Her hand came up clamped down on the other's wrist. Both arms quivering, she pushed Six's arm away.

"You know where my loyalties lie," Sharon whispered.

"I wonder," Six hissed, her eyes flashing.

"Enough!" Doral commanded. "This bickering is pointless. This is precisely the reason humanity nearly destroyed themselves in the first place."

Sharon released Six's arm, but did not step back. Both still glared at each other.

"Very well, I agree," Doral said. His blonde compatriot looked to protest, but it died in her throat at a look from him. "On one condition: the moment," he brought a finger up, "_the moment_ the human deviates from our plan…he dies."

Sharon nodded. "I'll see to his recovery," and walked off to their base camp to get the necessary personnel and equipment. Six looked over her shoulder until Sharon was out of earshot before turning to the other.

"Why?" she asked simply.

Doral glanced back at the direction that Sharon had left and then looked down at the wounded man. "Because I'm intrigued."

"About the human?"

"About her."

Six frowned. "You've always known my feelings towards that model. I've always found it lacking." She shook her head. "You're taking an awful risk."

"Which is why we make sure we keep an eye on her as well, and we stay one step ahead of both them at all times. I'm more than a little curious to see how far this one will go for someone he cares for. We'll make sure they can find adequate provisions and arms; enough to get by without doing any serious damage."

"Then they're never to leave the planet?"

"Absolutely not."

"If she starts to have an emotional attachment to the human - "

"Then she dies as well."

Six snorted. "By your command," she said sardonically.

---

Helo woke with a gasp, which immediately turned into a grunt of pain. He clutched his side and rolled over, shuddering as he gulped in breath after breath. After a minute or so, he felt his racing heart begin to slow down. Unsteadily, he tried to get up, but grimaced as the worst headache ripped through his head. Gritting his teeth, he rose to his feet, holding himself to the tree. Helo blinked a few times and then looked confusedly around the forest, as a slight wind picked up and blew leaves here and there.

Helo shook his head, trying to clear the cobwebs that had formed there. He remembered scouting ahead with that civilian…looking into that valley and seeing that craft with the Centurions…trying to get back…finding that dead man…and then…and then…?

"Ah," he grunted as that last thought brought on a fresh pulse of pain. He remembered more Centurions…pain…and then…something else…something that felt very important…

Try as he might, he kept hitting a blank wall. He grunted in frustration as he shook his head, but that simple gesture opened no more memories. Helo abruptly stopped when a stronger wind picked up and he sniffed hard. A deeper breath was taken and he quickly took out his sidearm. Holding it ready, he limped towards a hill behind which a particular smell seemed to originate from…and Helo prayed to the Lords that he was wrong as to what the smell might be.

Slowly, gripping the blaster tightly in front of him, he rounded the hill…and nearly dropped his weapon at what he saw.

Bodies.

All over the clearing, nothing but bodies were strewn everywhere. Helo covered his nose and mouth to try and fend off the stench of burning flesh. Men and women both were slaughtered indiscriminately. He swallowed and gave a small prayer of thanks that at least the children were safely off the planet.

_The children…_

Helo's eyes widened and he started looking around, desperately searching each face of every fallen woman. He found one lying face down, gently turned it over and his heart sank.

_"You know, this might sound bad, but now that I know my brother's son is safe – now that I know he's away from here, I honestly couldn't care less what happens to me. Sounds selfish, but…" _

Helo nodded. She knew…somehow she knew something would happen. He'd talked to her before he went out scouting. He'd tried his best to give her some hope, but the only comfort she'd taken was that her nephew, Boxey, was safely off the planet. His hands came up and gently closed the now sightless eyes of the woman whose name he never knew. Helo then laid a hand on her chest and bowed his head, a shudder running through his body.

---

Several yards away, overlooking the devastation, three sets of eyes were on the back of the Colonial Warrior.

"How touching," Six said, offhandedly.

"Humans can be at their very best when things are worst," Sharon said with a shrug.

"I did not know you were such an advocate of humanity," Six replied, glancing at Doral.

Sharon smiled condescendingly. "Merely and observer, of course."

"Either way," Doral interjected. "Now we see if his survival instinct is still intact: will he continue to fight, or will he be desperate enough to take the easy way out and simply put the gun to his mouth?"

All three turned back to the developing drama.

---

Helo wiped away the last of the tears with the back of his hand. He scrounged around at what was left of the camp and covered the woman in a survival blanket. Wishing he could have buried her, but knowing that more cylons could be on the way, he packed what he could in a knapsack. He counted himself lucky that he found some anti-radiation doses in the medkits, but he was even more surprised when he found a satchel filled with antipersonnel mines, some grenades and even some spare charge magazines for his blaster. A frown creased his features as he stared at the cache of weapons in his hands. Helo distinctly remembered _not_ having taking something like this from the Raptor. It was possible one of the civilians might have had it, especially since everything was in such a rush to leave the blast zones. But still…

His musings were cut short when he heard a distinct metal-on-stone sound. From a distance he could make out two Centurions walking in his direction. He glanced up at a loud rumble from above; a storm was coming with the first few drops of rain hitting his face. Grimly, he pulled the cord on the satchel, threw it over his shoulder, and ran into the woods.

The world may be over, but the fighting was just beginning.

---

The mine exploded in a concussive blast that ripped through the two stalking Centurions. Even in the rain, the explosive report echoed as far back as where the three observers watched the Colonial Warrior.

"He's good," Sharon commented.

Six watched as the human fired shot after shot at the near-ruined machine, yelling as he did. "He's angry now, and using it in the only way possible."

"Now let's see what happens when we introduce a new focus for his anger," Doral mused. Six nodded and walked off.

---

Helo ran as far from the blast site as possible, knowing he had to put as much distance else he run into an even bigger patrol. The rain wasn't helping and the cold it brought by soaking him to the bone was making it ever more difficult to walk on his injured leg. Finally, after checking he wasn't being followed, he sat behind a huge tree and caught his breath. He slid down and closed his eyes, letting the rain spatter all over him. He couldn't afford to sleep – he was too much in the open and exposed for that. Before he could turn his thoughts to possible defensible positions, his stomach growled in a manner that brooked no argument. Helo chuckled tiredly. Running and fighting was all he could think of lately, but leave it to his body to remind him otherwise. He pulled out a ration bar from a chest pocket and bit off a small piece. Helo chewed for a few seconds before he stopped, grimaced, and then spat out what was in his mouth. Groaning, he put a shaking hand to his forehead and heaved for a few moments more.

_Great…_

He sat back and swore. The fallout from the nuclear holocaust had drifted into the clouds and was coming down in the rain…that meant he was getting who knew how many rads just sitting there soaking in the storm. The satchel was opened and the medkit taken out. Helo opened up a small metal case and pulled out an anti-radiation syringe. Gritting his teeth, he jerked the needle into his carotid artery and pushed the plunger a small amount. He gasped as the serum immediately coursed through his body, setting his heart hammering in his chest. The syringe was put back in its case and Helo leaned over to put it back in the satchel.

The moment he looked up from the bag, his breath caught in his throat. Several yards away, standing serenely between two large trees, was a tall, blonde woman. Wearing a white lab coat and staring calmly back at him, the woman stood there, saying and doing nothing. Helo scrambled up, took out his blaster and pointed it at the woman, while blinking away the rain in his eyes. Still she stood there, not a care shown in her face even with a weapon pointed unsteadily in her direction. He was about to ask her something when the hairs on the back of his neck stood up, and his ears pricked up at the sound of electronic oscillation from right behind. Helo looked over his shoulder to see a Cylon Centurion not two feet away from him, both hands transformed into weapons pointed right at his back. It did not, however, open fire. Slowly, he raised both arms up as he mentally berated himself for falling for the simplest trick in the book.

_Stupid, stupid, stupid!_

---

"Excellent," Doral observed as the human was taken, disarmed and restrained in chains. "Now we see how desperate he is to grasp at any hope that comes his way." He turned to Sharon. "You're on."

Sharon nodded, pulled out her own blaster, and started to walk towards the area where Helo was held.

"Don't enjoy it too much," Six said, as she crossed her arms. The other woman paused only briefly, but then continued her walk.

---

For the hundredth time, Helo mentally kicked himself. Head covered in a cloth sack and chained to a log, he could only sit there dejectedly. Why spare him, he wondered? It wasn't like the Cylons had any regard for human life; the billions dead in the past few days were testament to that. Information was the only explanation, which meant that torture would be the obvious means. What could be…extracted from him would be very little. He had no idea as to where the Galactica was or what the status of the fleet was - if there still _was_ a fleet.

Something touched his wrists and he tensed. The sack was pulled off and he found himself staring into the beautiful blue eyes of the woman he'd seen earlier.

"Are you alive?" she asked curiously. Helo could only frown at the question, but there was something else that nagged at him: Something about this woman, especially now from close up, raised his hackles. It wasn't just the fact that she seemed to be some kind of collaborator with the Cylons, but something else that was beyond his reach. Either way, he wasn't giving anything to this traitor, except what standard military protocol called for in this situation.

"Agathon, Karl C.," he started. "Lieutenant, Junior Grade, Colonial Fleet…PK - " he abruptly stopped as the woman leaned down and undid his bindings. Screw this, he thought. He was not going to let them play good Cylon/bad Cylon with him. " – 7899348."

"I know who you are, Helo," the woman interrupted. "It's alright, I'm a friend."

Helo nearly laughed in her face at that statement if not for the fact that the woman reached over and started to kiss him. This is nuts, he thought and was about to pull away when a sharp _crack!_ echoed from behind her and she jerked forward with a gasp. Dazed, she pulled back and a small trickle of blood dribbled out of her mouth and down her chin. The woman slowly pitched to the side, her dead weight on Helo, and from right behind, blaster held out, stood Lt. Sharon Valerii.

"Sharon?" he asked, incredulous, as his former Raptor co-pilot came forward, weapon at the ready. "What are you doing here? I – "

"Can you walk?" she said, quickly looking him over.

"Yeah…yeah, yeah, I think so," he said, relieved but still confused, as she took his arm, threw it over her shoulder and pulled him up. "What are you doing here?" he demanded. "I thought – "

"Let's move mister!" Sharon urged, looking around. Helo couldn't argue, knowing there had to be other Cylons out there. With Sharon's support, they quickly left the area. A moment later another blonde woman in a lab coat, escorted by a Centurion, came up and glanced down at the broken body. She then looked over at the two observers and nodded her head.

"Now we see how this plays out," Six said, still staring at receding figures of Helo and Sharon.

Doral smiled. "Let the games begin."

-FIN-


End file.
